Chapter 14

Mid-March 1981

"That's three more we've housed," Anwen said as Sirius closed the Floo to the Black family island where there was a thriving colony of those avoiding being pressed into Tom's army and their infant children. None of the girls would state who they'd been impregnated by, save Ella Rookwood, and it was only because she was widowed. Her father had killed off her half-blood husband. "The house is officially full. Regulus has moved himself into the upper area of the boat house, which is supposed to store sails and such. He threw everything out or repurposed everything that was there."

"My brother can be brilliant like that," Sirius said. "Have you figured out which properties to use next?"

"Your family owns three more islands in the chain," she said. There were maps strewn over the coffee table and she was shifting them around. "Wilken suggested that he go and build simple huts and we can relocate two or three more into them, especially if it's a child that's the third."

"That will hold us for a while, but eventually we're going to need other ideas," Sirius said.

"When we suggested this, I never expected us to repopulate an archipelago."

"Who's repopulating what?" James asked as he came into the room.

"We sent another three and a baby off a few minutes ago. Anwen's suggesting that we build on some of the uninhabited islands to accommodate more people," Sirius explained.

"Sounds like a plan," James said. "We can bond with a few more elves, let them live down there and help those we've relocated. I'll take care of it."

"How, James? Every time you step out of this house someone is firing spells at you," Anwen complained even as she stood and went to her brother. "I can't have you killed for my hairbrained ideas."

"Why? I've nearly killed you with enough of mine," he teased back. "Fine, what do you suggest?" he relented to his sister's glare.

"Floo to Italy," she said. "The family home in Milan is still attached and you should find some English-speaking elves there. If not, look for French-speaking ones. We've moved mostly Purebloods away from their families, they can all speak fluent French."

"Brilliant idea," Sirius said, taking his wife into his arms and kissing her. "Well, anything else we need to be thinking about?"

"Our eldest is nearly one year old. We can't really have a party except for the people living with us, but honestly, he's not going to know what's going on. Well, he'll know there's cake."

"Ah, his mummy is going to make him a cake!" James said with a smile on his face. "Hmm, your bananas foster cake? Maybe that strawberry and champagne thing you did last summer?"

"He's one, there isn't going to be a champagne gel layer, James. No, I was thinking of a nice yellow cake with some white icing, so that nothing gets stained. I can mould sugar to make a little train to go on top and remove it before he's served. Then when Harry or Neville's birthdays come around this summer, it can get used again."

"White, Anwen, you can't be serious! That's so boring. Alfie deserves something amazing for his birthday!" Sirius complained.

"Sirius, he's one. We could rewrap toys he already has, and he'd be excited for them. Honestly there may be things in the attic he hasn't even opened from Christmas yet. He's still a baby for all intents and purposes. Let him stay one for a few more months. On his second birthday I will sculpt him a birthday cake to rival the one mum made for James for his seventh birthday."

"Which one was that?" her brother asked.

"The dragon that breathed fire," Anwen replied.

"I remember that cake," Sirius said. "I never did figure out how it was charmed."

"I was Wilken. He had disillusioned himself and was flicking matches over a spoon of whisky. Mum told me when I was fifteen or so," she said with a small laugh.

"Our childhood was magical, wasn't it?" James said to her.

"Much more so than our children will have if we don't make some headway against Tom," she answered melancholily.

"Speaking of Tom, we have an Order meeting tonight. Are you coming?"

"Not until our illustrious leader apologizes to me. Sirius and I just wanted Harry and Violet to have their own birthdays. No one else seems to care," she said with bitterness. "Then to suggest you move out of the manor. How stupid is that? We're safer apart? No, we're safer together and on this property."

"Win, hon, I don't think he's going to apologize," Sirius said gently. "Why not come tonight and see if he's changed his mind?"

"He said some horrible things to me," she whimpered into her husband's chest. "I can't forgive him for that."

Anwen sat quietly between her brother and husband. Lily had opted out of this meeting, so someone was home with the babies. She was surprised when Anwen had said she wanted to attend – it would be her first since the start of the year – and Lily felt it was her duty to care for the kids. The children were mostly in the care of Anwen and Eva during the day, as Lily was usually busy making potions for the Order or for people who were afraid to go to St Mungo's for treatment. The hospital had stopped functioning except for those affiliated with the Ministry or for the families of the Death Eaters.

Everyone had given their report, except for Sirius, and he was reporting on the relocation progress. Finally, Albus called on him.

"Sirius, do you have anything to report?" the man asked in a flat tone.

"I do," Sirius said as he stood. "As of today, we have relocated twenty-six men and women and seven babies to the safe houses. Some have opted to move into the remote locations we've warded here in the UK. These tend to be people who are interested in stopping Tom and do not want to be too far away. We are continuing to search out abandoned properties, especially in Northern Ireland, to enchant.

"As for those moving to the Black islands, they are mostly the younger generation of families we know are affiliated with Tom. Of those, a third are young men who want to avoid taking the Dark Mark and the rest are young women who have either been pledged to or married off to Death Eaters. There are seven children of these unions who are already born, three more we are awaiting their births."

"Are you sure the Black property is safe?" Sturgis Podmore asked. "Your cousin is one of the worst Death Eaters there is."

"This property came through Arcturus to me, and Bellatrix has never been there, nor does she have the ability to find it."

"How are you handling organization for all these children and their mothers? Who is feeding them?" another voice asked.

"My brother Reg is down there and acting as a sort of mayor. He collects people's needs and we do what we can to procure them from Muggle establishments. It's not perfect, but we're handling everything so far," Sirius explained.

"Just today I bonded with two new elves whose sole responsibility will be to work with the families on the islands," James added. "We will be starting central feeding times as to make things a bit easier on everyone."

"Just how is it all being paid for? Who is supplying the food? Most of those people can't access their Gringotts accounts, if they even have any gold of their own," Minerva queried.

"We are using Potter family funds," Anwen said softly. "Our parents left us with a trust for the betterment of Wizarding society. After a bit of discussion, James and I decided that this is what our mum and dad would have wanted it used for."

"Anwen, James, that was left for all of society," Albus said. "During the Grindelwald campaigns your father pledged that money to those who sided with me."

"He did, sir, but this is a different conflict, and James and I are the stewards of the account," Anwen said with a bit of bite. "Why are you concerned about how we are distributing the funds our parents left us?" James took Anwen's hand under the table, letting her know that he'd answer any further questions their former headmaster had. She turned her head to him ever so slightly and nodded.

When they began moving people to the islands, they realized Sirius could not pay for it all himself. The three of them had always shared everything, and this was another project that would be the three muskateers-ish friends. Lily agreed with their plan, although the gold used was never part of James' or Anwen's personal endowments from their parents' estate. James met with the family goblin at Gringotts and realized that people from the war with Grindelwald were still on the accounts. Most were dead, but Albus was one, and there had been a steady stream of funds leaving since Monty and Fee's deaths. It was stopped immediately and the only people who were currently able to access it were the Blacks, Potters and Minerva McGonagall. The last as she'd never take money from them, but she was affiliated with the Order and if the unthinkable happened, she could continue their work. She'd never told Albus of the changes, but from their monthly Gringotts statement, the trio knew Dumbledore had tried to take funds out and was denied. Oddly, he'd not come to the Potter home to ask about it. The headmaster looked at Anwen but chose to direct his questions to her brother.

"James, that money is vitally important to the work the Order is doing –"

"That is true, and removing players from the field of battle is a very important job. Tom's pool of young, easily dispensable soldiers is decreasing every day," James said with confidence.

"Er, yes, but there are other needs," Dumbledore said slowly, as if trying to come up with something to say. "There are needs for potions and other healing items."

"We are brewing nearly all if it at the house," he refuted. "Lily travels out of the country to buy some supplies. Others she has our house elves pick up from people and places we know are safe. Most common ones we grow ourselves. Whatever expense there is, we are covering it."

"There are some items we need to keep others safe," Albus put forward. "Invisibility cloaks, spare wands –"

"My grandfather and I have gone through nearly every Black property and have stockpiled what could be useful," Sirius said. "I brought it all over with me. If anyone has need, please look through the baskets before you leave tonight."

"Well then, I think everything is covered," the headmaster said defeatedly. "Meeting dismissed. Please leave in a staggered timing." He gathered up his cloak and was the first one out the door.

Minerva came over to speak with the trio. "You shouldn't antagonize him so," she said as if she could reprimand them still.

"He shouldn't antagonize us," Sirius said. "He's still not apologized to Anwen."

"Oh," the older woman said deflated. "What he alleged; I couldn't believe it. You know I don't think you're manipulative and he certainly never should have called you dangerous, Anwen. I'm very sorry he did." Anwen looked at her former professor and then made a ball of pure magic appear in her hand.

"Minerva, I am dangerous. Just not usually to people on our side."

About an hour after the meeting broke up, James was taking a sleeping Harry to the nursery for the night. Anwen was sitting on the floor with her two, singing to them and gently rocking side to side. She couldn't hold them both while in a rocking chair, but she could if she sat on the floor, her back against one of their cribs and sway while she sang and cuddled them.

"I'm surprised to see you still up," he whispered to her, taking a seat next to her after Harry was safely in his crib.

"I needed some snuggle time with my babies," Anwen said wistfully. "It's very uncomplicated being with them.

"Are you happy, Win?" Anwen looked at him and sighed deeply.

"There's a war going on. I have two children who are under one, and two nephews who are too. I'm not doing what I've dreamed of because if I were to step foot in the hospital I'd be kidnapped or killed or likely both with some nasty stuff between the two. This isn't exactly the life we dreamed of as children."

"I wanted to be a pirate for a while," James quipped, and it made her giggle ever so slightly.

"Yes, you and Sirius and Reggie went through that terrible phase of "arrg-ing" this and that. I blame it on the play yard they build behind the primary school in the village. The ship shaped climbing thing was a nightmare," Anwen said.

"It was awesome!"

"You're still such a boy Jimmy Potter." They were quiet for a minute longer.

"Win, I'm scared. It just doesn't feel like we're moving forward. We're barely holding the ground we have. Something must change or he's going to take over and we're all going to need to uproot or be killed."

"Then we uproot," Anwen said flatly. "We are working as hard as we can to make things better. You and Sirius are risking your lives every time you leave this house. It's not worth it anymore, is it?"

"They're worth it, Anwen. We build our lives around these families of ours. That's what we're fighting for. Six more months," James said. "I give it six months, and something happens, or we go. We will not start nineteen eighty-two under this cloud." Anwen nodded her agreement and then kissed her children.